Distributive Leadership

Distributive leadership is used in capacity building at different times throughout the school year.  As the administration provides many professional development sessions for their teachers; they go ahead and have teachers who are experienced in the topics to be discussed to manage the professional development session.  When administration does this they are distributing leadership among teachers in the school.  This allows for teachers to be involved in leadership roles as well as with their peers.  At my school we also see capacity building when teachers have to be endorsed for certain core subjects,  The school then distributes leadership to teachers who have experience in these endorsements to then look over the fact that teachers are in compliance.  This allows administration some free time to attend to some issues that are of more importance and cannot be distributed to no one else.

• Identify what leadership theory most closely matches your leadership style. Explain why. Explain how that style could benefit your school.

The theory that most closely matches my leadership style is “The High Performance Theory.”  Working in a charter school we are able to have some say on the way we want to teach our subjects.  As a public charter school we do follow district guidelines but how we get our students ready for the state standardized test is up to our administration.  Teachers get to provide creative lessons to their students whereas in public schools you are more restricted as to what and how you teach your students.  This theory best fits me because I believe in that students have different ways of learning.  This theory lets me as a future leader have the flexibility to let my teachers’ approach their student’s learning the best way they know how.  This benefits our school because it allows our teachers to be more involved.  Teachers will share with one another lessons and activities that work in the classrooms and in turn this allows for more communication and involvement among the teachers; instead of isolation among the staff like we may see in many schools.

The Power Dynamic At Your School Site

The power dynamic at my school is one that is very strong and very positive.  As my school just opened for the first time this school year (2011-2012), our administration, teachers and staff are constantly giving more than a 100% to make sure we succeed this year academically.  Our teachers are always willing and able to contribute their time and efforts after school or before school without asking anything in return.  Parents are also on board with the school ensuring that the teachers and administration have what they need to have a successful school year.  We are all in it together and our passion to teach, to succeed and to have a great school at the end of the day is what keeps us strong and drives the positive energy and power you feel in the school on a day to day basis.  As the administrator recognizes how we all feel like a family fighting for a common goal; it then uses this to determine who stays or who goes in our teachers and staff.  This allows administration to dismiss any member of the team who does not want to share these goals and the passion that the rest of the staff has. 

Week Two-How Strength-Based Leadership Can Support a Community of Practice?

In my opinion strength-based leadership can support a community of practice by focusing in the specific strengths of an individual.  As individuals we are all different and when we use our strength-based leadership to lead, we bring to the table different strengths that as we work as a team; it makes that team even stronger.  Our strengths are what drives our leadership so when good leaders share their strengths and support a community of teachers the success of those teachers are even greater then what an one person leader may give a community of teachers.

Week one entry-what I want to learn from EDL/500

What I would like to learn from this course is how to better myself as a leader.  How to refine the skills that I now have as a leader and make them better.  I believe we can always improve ourselves.  I believe in not being over confident and saying that I know it all.  I want to learn when and how to apply the appropriate skill in a given situation.  This is something that is assumed that we know but sometimes it does not show.

Monica F.